Outtake STE Observer Effect: Everything's Alright
by GM Grantham
Summary: Post Observer Effect: Trip makes a confession…as does T'Pol.


Title: Everything's Alright  
Author: gina R  
Author's e-mail: Any Enterprise Community  
Series/Fandom: ENT (Star Trek Enterprise)  
Category: Het  
Rating: G  
Status: Complete  
Pairing: T'Pol/Tucker  
Summary: (Post-Observer Effect) Trip makes a confession…as does  
T'Pol.  
Series: A Series of Unfortunate/Fortunate Events  
Sequel to: none  
Beta: No one beta-ed this one, but if anyone's up for it…  
Spoilers: Spoilers for Dadeleus and Observer Effect  
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me…poo.

Author's Notes: Sequel-- Bidding Farewell

He sat at a table in the far corner of the Mess Hall, reading over  
some reports he'd missed while he was out and occasionally taking a  
sip of coffee. Just as he took his sip of coffee this time, however,  
he started coughing. He swallowed the liquid and set his cup down,  
bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. Once the coughing fit had  
abated, he reached out for the cup again and took another sip.

"How are you feeling?"

The voice startled him out of his thoughts and he snapped in the  
direction of the voice. He found herstanding before him, hands  
cupped together behind her back. Her posture was erect and her  
concern accentuated by a raised eyebrow. He swallowed his coffee and  
smiled slightly as he put the cup down, returning his eyes to the  
PADD.

"Not bad considerin' I was dead a day ago," he said wryly.

She tilted her head slightly downward, noticing his attempt at  
what humans called mortuary humor.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" she asked.

He looked up. "Not at all," he said motioning toward the chair.

She slid into the chair gracefully and looked at the table for a  
moment, he doing the same twirling his thumbs around each other.

"I saw Lizzy," he said, causing her to look up at him. He  
smiled. "I didn't think I'd ever see her again."

She cautiously placed a reassuring hand on his arm. He looked  
into her eyes and laid his hand on top of hers squeezing it tightly.  
Suddenly, he looked at the table and chuckled. "Been in this same  
situation b'fore, haven' we?" he said. He sighed and looked into her  
eyes. "I never got ta thank ya properly for everything ya did fer  
me."

He paused before continuing. "I thought about a lot of things when I  
was in that Decon chamber. Things I wished I'd done…things I wished  
I'd said."

She nodded. "It is common for humans to dwell on could-have-  
beens' when they are close to death," she replied.

He nodded as well, pressing his tongue against the inside of his  
cheek. "One of the things they think about most is loved ones," he  
replied. He paused for a moment, thinking about how he should  
continue. "You were the first person I thought of, T'Pol."

She looked at him slightly startled and he lifted his gaze to meet  
hers. "I never got ta tell ya how much I cared for ya. I thought I  
was gonna die without ya ever knowin'," he continued. "I'm  
sorry bout what I said. I was just bein' bitter."

SHe looked away, struggling for the words. "When your illness was  
in its final stages, I found myself becoming emotional. Though I can  
now suppress my emotions with less effort, I find it difficult to  
suppress them for any longer than a few moments before I am warring  
for control again," she admitted.

He looked at her utterly bewildered. "I…I didn't know that you  
were having that hard of a time," he said. "And I probably didn'  
make it much easier for ya, givin' ya the cold shoulder an' all."

She raised her eyebrow at the expression. "I understood' your  
reasons well enough," she replied.

He shook his head. "That doesn't make my behavior right," he  
said. "Ya broke my heart when ya married Koss, darlin'…and when you  
and he separated, it made me think I'd been given another chance.  
But then ya told me that you wouldn' have time for us. I told ya I  
understood, which I promise you wasn' a lie. I just…I want us to be  
alright." He paused and pulled her hand off of his arm and grabbed  
her other hand with his free one, squeezing them both tightly and  
looking into her eyes. "Are we alright, T'Pol?" he asked.

She looked into his eyes for a moment before freeing one of her  
hands from his grip and laying it flat against his cheek. "We are  
more than alright," she replied.

He smiled as a couple of tears rolled down his cheeks. He took the  
hand on his face and brought it to his lips kissing its back. "I'm  
glad, T'Pol. I'm really glad," he said.

"As am I," she replied, and to his surprise her lips turned up  
slightly at the corners.

He laughed. "Seems ta me you have a good handle on those emotions  
o' yours," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Then it appears that you do not  
know what it truly is to be Vulcan," she replied.

He smiled. "I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, darlin'," he  
said.

She nodded. "You are intelligent. I believe you will be able to  
comprehend the limits of my species, but you will never experience  
them for yourself," she replied.

He tilted his chin down slightly. "You're right. I won't  
experience them for myself, but I can help you adjust to your  
stronger human emotions, T'Pol, so that you won't be fighting so  
hard for control," he countered.

"And I will teach you how to control yours so that you may evaluate  
a situation more logically," she replied.

He smiled. "You've got yourself a deal, darlin'," he said.

"We are needed on the bridge," she replied.

He nodded. "Yes, I do believe we are," he acknowledged. He picked  
up the pad and his cup, walking toward the exit with her behind  
him. On his way out, he dumped the remains of the coffee out and set  
the cup next to the resequencer. She waited patiently for him and  
he joined her, both headed for the bridge.

TBC in Sequel


End file.
